Liverpool, London and Manchester based ‘virtual hardcore’ collective TOKKY HORROR have announced details of their debut EP, ‘I Found The Answers And Now I Want More,’ to be released on May 21, 2021 via Alcopop! Records.
They have also shared another new track lifted from the record, the video for latest single Godliness, with the song available to stream on all good DSPs. Watch the video clip via YouTube below.
Commenting on the track, producer and writer Zee Davine says: “I think we show our more expansive side on ‘Godliness’. Where our first two singles were the ‘flag-in-ground’ moment when we wanted to assert our presence with intensity, ‘Godliness’ is us letting our guard down a bit for something more genuine.”
You can stream Godliness here: https://backl.ink/145629675
Showing a more mellow side to their forward-thinking, aggressive, punk-attitude-injected electronica, the new track further showcases Tokky’s descent into their own futuristic landscape of ‘virtual hardcore’—taking influence from Atari Teenage Riot’s idea of ‘digital hardcore’ and pushing it forward 30 years.
“Creating intensity was the hardest thing for us, with none of it recorded in a room together—it was all virtual, and done with members sending takes back and forth through lockdown,” reflects Zee on the journey so far. “The band hadn’t even all met each other before we had signed a record deal and released our first single. Hence the description “virtual hardcore”. And it definitely is music for the virtual age.”
Completed by joint-vocalists Mollie Rush and Ava Akira, the trio form the hotly-anticipated new project from ex-Queen Zee vocalist Zee Davine, marking a stark change in musical direction from Davine’s former outfit. Inspired by artists like Dennis Lyxzen (Refused, International Noise Conspiracy) and Liam Howlett of The Prodigy, the new material carries on where Queen Zee left off, by crashing headlong into traditionally less diverse spaces and firmly planting the flag for the LGBTQ+ community.
More about the ‘I Found The Answers And Now I Want More’ EP
Written and recorded by TOKKY HORROR, forthcoming debut EP ‘I Found The Answers And Now I Want More’ was produced and mixed by Zee Davine, and mastered by Bobby Starchild as well as Stephen Cole at What Studio Liverpool.
“I’ve always wanted to create music with intention, music that is direct and unrelenting, and I feel with Tokky Horror we’ve tried to do that in a new way,” explains Davine. “There’s a new challenge with social media, streaming platforms and live streams—we’re losing the honesty of music. It’s in the crack of a vocal, or a snare that sits slightly out. That’s the charm that connects us to a song. It’s hard to have a cathartic moment with a 10 second Tik-Tok video, but at the same time, this virtual age is our future. So as we fall headfirst into this new time, I wanted to find a way to create that catharsis again.”
Knowing that revolution in sound wouldn’t come from the punk purity of ‘One take! That’s a wrap!’ or from electronic music snobs spending hours tinkering with snare sounds, the trio worked quickly and honestly, with little to no touching up or fixing mistakes, and sampled widely.
“It’s playing a sampler like a punk would traditionally play a guitar,” enthuses Davine. “Sloppy but honest. It’s tongue in cheek, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. And yet we sing about our feminine lives, our purpose, our regrets, our queerness. It’s that honesty that I think connects you to this EP—a break from overproduced electro nonsense only fit to be a ringtone, and the fifth wave of punk rock imitating the sound of their grandad’s generation.”
Previously-released singles Girlracer and Simulate Me picked up spins from Tom Robinson at BBC 6music, John Kennedy at Radio X, BBC introducing, Hoxton Radio and a host of digital specialist shows, receiving national press support from DIY, CLASH, Discovered Magazine and UPSET magazine, and many more blogs, zines and regional music mags.
‘I Found The Answers And Now I Want More’ EP track listing
1. Girlracer
2. Simulate Me
3. Godliness
4. Eden On Acid
5. Sleeper
Debut EP ‘I Found The Answers And Now I Want More’ will be out on May 2021 via Alcopop! Records
TOKKY HORROR live dates
The trio have also announced their first ever UK tour dates for November 2021, alongside appearances at PWR Festival in Cardiff and Futurama Fest in Liverpool later this year (see below for full listings).
04.09.21 – Cardiff – PWR Festival
11.09.21 – Liverpool – Futurama Fest
12.11.21 – Birkenhead – Future Yard
13.11.21 – Leeds – Nice As Pie Race Festival
14.11.21 – Bristol – The Exchange
18.11.21 – London – Shacklewell Arms
19.11.21 – Newport – Le Pub
20.11.21 – Nottingham – *new venue tba*
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/Tokkyhorror
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